6 Best Sights in Whangarei, Northland and the Bay of Islands

With its gold leaf dome, brightly colored exterior and revolving art exhibitions, plus a significant collection of Māori art, the Hundertwasser is a celebration of the Australia artist its named after who spent significant time in Northland. In addition to being home to the largest collection of work by Friedensreich Hundertwasser the museum and art center hosts workshops for school children. There's also a café and shop selling Hundertwasser art, books, and local artworks.

If you want to while away some time, this clock museum is the place for you. About every conceivable method of telling time is represented. The collection of more than 1,500 clocks includes primitive water clocks, ships' chronometers, and ornate masterworks from Paris and Vienna. Ironically, the one thing you won't find here is the correct time. If all the bells, chimes, gongs, and cuckoos went off together, the noise would be deafening, so the clocks are set to different times.

Minutes out of town, this 61-acre park is home to a nocturnal Kiwi house, Heritage buildings, and the Whangarei Museum. The museum has some 40,000 items in its collection including fine examples of pre-European Māori cloaks, waka (canoes), and tools. Photographers will love the early pictures of the area. You can also check out Glorat, an original 1886 kauri homestead, and the world's smallest consecrated chapel, built in 1859 from a single kauri tree. Check the website for ever-changing exhibitions.  On the third Sunday of every month and on selected "Live Days" (call for dates), you can cruise around the park on model reproductions of steam and electric trains, vintage tractors as well as on a full-size diesel train.

This is the oldest kauri villa in Whangarei. It is home to the Northland Society of Arts and regularly hosts exhibitions from up-and-coming and established New Zealand artists. Original work are available for purchase. The permanent collection focuses on the 1880s to the present including well-known New Zealand artists.

The falls are a lovely picnic spot, located on Ngunguru Road, 5 km (3 miles) northeast of town. Viewing platforms are atop the falls, and a short trail runs through the local bush.

People often bypass Whangarei on their way to the Bay of Islands. It's easy to see why, as the town has a confusing traffic system, but if you can brave it, the area known as the Whangarei Town Basin is worth a look. There are two museums, the marina is a haven for visiting yachts plus there are cafés, restaurants, galleries, and crafts shops. Parking is behind the basin off Dent Street.